Giving Americans Control of Their Own Health Insurance

Republicans in Congress are making yet another major attempt to reform the health care system, going in a very different direction from the expensive health reform bills proposed by Democrats. Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ) is set to introduce his Improving Health Care for All Americans Act, which seeks to control costs while promoting greater health insurance portability and choice. The bill offers three main provisions: offer tax relief for those who don’t have employer-sponsored insurance or don’t like their current work place coverage, establish new pooling arrangements for individuals, and facilitate mechanisms for the state to address high cost individuals.

The Shadegg bill offers yet another conservative alternative to reform proposals put forth by President Obama and the leaders in Congress. Unlike President Obama’s plan, which depends on centralizing health care decisions in Washington, the Shadegg bill would put personal health care decisions back in the hands of individuals and families. It would address the major challenges facing the current health care system by promoting increased choice, affordability, and access, while placing control over insurance plans in the hands of the real customer – the patient.

As director of the Center for Health Policy Studies, Nina Owcharenko oversees The Heritage Foundation’s research and policy prescriptions on such issues as health care reform on the federal and state levels, Medicare and Medicaid, children’s health and prescription drugs. Read her research.

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i feel our goverment needs to stay out of our insurance,taking our rights to choose.we are losing our freedoms as a american. our country was found on our freedom to choose.our men and women has given their lives for our rights.i do not need obama or congress makeing decisions for whats best for my familys needs.

Don't you understand, right now you as an individual have no "rights to choose"

The only entity that can choose is the company/union/group or whatever that is providing the coverage. It is that entity who picks the company they buy the insurance from, it is that entity who picks the benefits that will be payable (other than those mandated by the states) and it is that entity who picks who get coverage.

There is NOTHING to stop any employer from changing plans, from the one you like, the one your doctor participates in, the one your hospital accepts to another plan. Leaving you to change doctors, change hospital, change pharmacy, change everything..

You right to choose is non-existent. It is the employer who makes the choice.

While I appreciate the congressional Republicans putting forth an alternative, it does not go far enough in removing the government from the healthcare sector. The only way the health care crisis will be resolved is by returning to consumer driven health care with insurance only for catastrophic situations. The plan above still relies too heavily on insurance companies as third party payers.

Instead, preferential tax treatment for employers should be eliminated; direct regulation of health insurance should be removed; individuals should have the opportunity to purchase their healthcare with pre-tax dollars (through individually maintained health savings accounts); and Medicare should be privatized until its obligations to the current generation are fulfilled, then finally dismantled. These three steps would ensure a break down of the third-party payer system and lowering of demand, which in turn would quickly return healthcare prices to their natural, affordable levels.

The Republicans need to get light shined on this commonsense plan. They need to talk it up since the Dims always try to pin the "party of no" label on Republicans everytime they disagree with their wacko lefty legislation.

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